COWORKING

Five rising stars of the start-up co-working scene
The co-working concept is spreading its tentacles across Australia, with the past week seeing a series of “first ever” launches – in Newcastle, Adelaide and, most recently, Perth.
The new arrivals join a growing roster of collaborative working spaces that start-ups can choose from, such as Fishburners in Sydney and The Hub in Melbourne.
The idea behind co-working is simple – rather than base your small-scale operation FROM HOME (with the occasional escape to a café), why not pay a weekly or monthly fee for a desk in a communal office with other like-minded start-ups?
At their best, co-working spaces can foster innovation, provide essential expertise to solo operators and lead to game-changing business partnerships.
There are some potential downsides, such as concerns over sharing intellectual property in large, open-plan workspaces, but we think that co-working hubs are officially A Good Thing.
However, with so many collaborative spaces launching in the last year or so, it can be hard keeping up with what’s available out there.